Battery terminal clamp



A. G. GooDNlGHT 2,548,782

BATTERY TERMINAL CLAMP Filed June 8, 1946 BMW/@fw Gtforneg Patented pr. i0; 95i

UNITED' STATES PATENT* orifice BATTERY TERMINAL cLAivn" Austin G; Goodnight; Laton; Calif; pplicato June 8, 1946, Serial No; 675,448

-n'lore particularly to battery'connectors or terminals.

'The difficulties inherent to present known battery connectors are Well known. They are unwieldy. When connected for a period of time, they frequently have to be broken to be disengaged from the battery. The manipulation of a wrench in the limited space in which batteries are usually positioned, to tighten or loosen conventional clamps, is inconvenient. Vibration and wear results in faulty electrical transmission; Faulty transmission induces increased corrosion which continues the vicious circle and further aggravates the above mentioned diiiiculties.

An object of my invention is, therefore, to provide an electrical connecting device conveniently and easily manipulated.

' Another object of my invention is to provide a connecting device adapted to exert a substantially uninterrupted clamping pressure independe'nt of battery post wear, vibration, or

other deleterious effects encountered during op-V eration.

Another object is to provide an electrical connector distendable for connecting purposes by the application of tension thereto and providing dependable electrical connection to terminals circum'scribed thereby upon the release of said tension.

Another object is to provide a battery connector minimizing corrosion by providing constant, or increasingly efficient, electrical transmission during operation.

`A further object is to reduce damage to battery posts and batteries incident to present known connectors.

A still further object is to provide batteryv connectors having clamping surfaces adaptedto produce efficient electrical conduction and facile and dependable positioning and to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof inva device of the character and for the purposes 1 Claim; (Cl. 173-259) '2 imaginary plane passed between th portions of the connector and through guides for said portions, presently more fully described.

Fig. 2'is an elevational view of such a portion of the battery connector showing a clampingv surface comprised of pyramidal engaging teeth.

Fig. 3 Vshows a similar portion in elevation having a frusto-conical clamping surface to engage frusto-conical battery posts.

Fig. 4 illustrates a clamping surface having longitudinal corrugations Fig. 5 shows a clamping surface having inwardly disposed longitudinally elongated teeth.

Fig. 6 illustrates a clamping surface providing a wale grid clamping surface.

Referring more in detail to the drawing:

In Fig; 1 a battery connector of the present invention is indilcated. Said connector comprises a gripping member I0 generally annular in its internal surface, being severed to form a pair of cooperativelyA employed substantially arcuate portions or gripping elements; a base vportion II and an end portion I2 respectively;

bounding an opening I3 provided to receive bat` tery posts. The annular or arcuate character need not be strictly adhered to. The peripheries of the portions are shaped in response to convenience and strength required. Further, said connector may be severed to form any number of gripping elements in response to particular confnecting problems confronted.

' The base portion II of the battery connector is provided with a receptacle I4 tov which is secured, as by soldering, an electrical conductor,

such as the Ywire I5 shown in light line con-` struction in Fig. 1.

A handle I6 is provided on the end portion I2 of the battery vconnector by which tension is applied to Vthe said connector `when it is desired to distend the respective portions thereof and relative movement of said portions. This is f preferably longitudinally to the gripping member I0. l

Guides I8 are secured in the bores I'I as by means of locking pins I9 kand disposed to en` gage the base portion'fII of the connector.

Bores 20 are formed in said base portion I I aligned with the bores I`I of the end portion I2 and of a size to receive the guides I8. Said guides are slidably engaged within the bores 20.

Elongated access openings 2I are provided in the base portion II of the connector into which the guides I8 extend from one end. To maintain the battery connector in contracted position and to exert a continuous force tending to draw the portions II and I2 together, resilient means, ysuch as helical springs 22y are provided. The springs are positioned circumjacent the guides I8 in an abutting relation to the base portion II at the ends of the access openings from which the guides enter said openings. Pins 23 are passed through the endsofthe guides extending into the openings 2I and serve as spring retainers and guide stops; when joined by the guides I8, the portions II and I21 o f thev the limits to which they are constrained by said guides;

In Fig. 1,'a plurality of teeth 24, positioned transversely to the clamping surface, are shown inwardly disposed to the battery post opening I3. The said teeth have apices 25V at their extremities, adapted to embrace battery posts to which electrical' connection is desired.

' A modified form of gripping surface shown in Fig. 2 comprises teeth 26, similar to the teeth 2!! but sharpened into pyramidal form Ato reduce area of contact with said battery terminals and increase the biting eect.' This modified gripping surface and other modications presently described circumscribe the batterypost opening I3.

In Fig. 3 a frusto-c'oncal grippingsurface 2`I is provided. When battery posts of soft material are to be engaged, the gripping surface 2l serves to reduce wearv theren by spreading the constringent force exerted by the connector over a Widerlarea of conventional frusto-conical battery posts. Said gripping surface 21 is generally somewhat more easilyreleased from engagement than is any of the other gripping surfaces shown because of the absence of biting action.

Longitudinal corrugations 28 illustrated in Fig. 4 are positioned to bearv a circumscribing relation to engaged battery posts and thus to resist movement of the connector longitudinally of said post. It is to be noted that a wearing of the said batterypost engaged servesto' seat the corrugations .and provide increasingly effective electrical Contact. It, is further to be noted that even a smaliarn'ount of wear serves toseat a greatly increased areaof the gripping surface in contrast to 'a' substantially constant and slower increase in seating area due to wear whenever the gripping surfaces shown in Figs.`1,"2, 5, or 6 are employed.

VLongitudina-ll'y'elongated teeth 29, indicated in n Fig. 5, also resist movement of the connector lon- Y gitudinally of the battery post during operation. The elongated teeth provide sharp engaging means and are well adaptedto'battery posts of hard material. Said teeth 29 provide a biting action `on battery posts engaged.

1 In Fig. 6, a gripping surface having a wallie grid clamping surface 30 is illustrated. The wallie grid, providing edges transversely and longitudinally disposed to an engaged battery post, is well suited to resist vertical, horizontal and rotational movement thereon. The gripping areas of the grid 29 may be optionally provided With indentations 3I therein.

I have shown clamping surfaces having battery post engaging projections positioned transversely and longitudinally to the clamping surfaces and clamping surfaces having no projections. These specialized configurations illustrate preferred embodiments of clamping surfaces which may be further modified or combined as individual needs suggest.

Operation The operation of a battery connector constructedasdescribed is as follows:

By gripping the base portion II of the connec- .tor and the handle IB, tension is applied to the said connector sucient to overcome the influence of the springs 22 and distend the connector.

' While distended, the connector is positioned on a battery post (not shown) with which electrical communication is to be established. The tension is then released permitting the base p0rtion I I and end portion I2 to be drawn in to electrical contact and clamping relation with the battery post by the springs 22.

When clamping surfaces of reduced areasuch as those illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 4, 5, andY 6 are employed, the continual inwardly directed relative movementV of the connector and battery` post yet always maintains firm engagement and electrical communication. This constant maintaining of eicient electrical contact also serves to reduce corrosion of the post and conector. Further, the teeth y 24, 25 and 29, the corrugatons 28, and the waffle grid 30 provide air passages adjacent points of electrical contact that tend to inhibit corrosion. Y

To remove the connector/from the battery post,I tension is again applied to distend the connector which is then merely lifted from battery post engagement. v

It is obvious that I have provided an electrical connector adapted to exert a substantially uninterrupted clamping pressure in spite of vibration and wear of the battery post and connector, being conveniently and easily manipulated and reducing corrosion and damage to batteries incident to conventional battery connectors.

Although I have herein shown and described my invention in what I have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, itis recognized that departures ymay be made therefrom within the scope of my invention, whichis not to be limited to` the details disclosed herein, but is to be accorded the full scope of the claim so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and Systems, I

`I- Iaving Ydescribed my invention, what I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A battery terminal connector comprising a pair of cooperative elements having adjacent inner ends, oppositely disposed outer ends, and opposite side edges, the adjacent inner ends dening an opening adpated to receive a battery post, one of said elements being formed with a bore inwardly from an outer end'thereof adapted to receive a battery cable; a pairv of parallel guides rigidly mounted in one of theV elementsand endwardly extended from the inner end of'said element on opposite sides of; the post receiving opening,l the opposite element having bores formed inwardly from the inner end thereof on opposite sides of the post receiving opening slidably receiving the guides and being formed with an enlarged access opening along each bore open to a respectively adjacent side edge of said element, the access openings having inner ends dened by portions of the element circumscribing the bores adjacent to the inner end of said element, a helical spring mounted on each of the guides within the guides respective access opening, and spring retainers mounted on the extended ends of the guides within the access openings maintaining the springs under compression between said retainers and the inner ends of the access openings.

AUSTIN G. GOODNIGHT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

